Lady Of The Lake

Another holiday, come and gone.  At the farm, we never had a trick or treater.  So different in the city.

I fixed up this booger and hoped it wouldn't scare the little kids too much.  I had a storyline to go with her.  I even bought dried duck and chicken feet at the pet store (they look so gross.)

With a few gallons of candy, I waited and waited.  I was shocked by how late they began to arrive.

I had planned on taking pictures of the littles, but opening the door, trying to keep a biting weenie and cat back, holding the tub of candy, it turned out I didn't get a single pic.  At times it felt like the zombies from The Walking Dead, with arms outstretched, all coming to the candy tub at once.  I don't remember when I stopped trick or treating, but I was surprised how many kids were in their teens.  They said they had heard there would be clowns on the prowl that night.  Evidently, scarier than my Lady. 

I had planned to tell the older kids about the lady that crawls crab-like, out of the huge culverts that drain into the lake; a labyrinth that runs under the streets, to get the bad kids that throw rocks and sticks at the waterfowl in the lake.  The dry duck feet were for those kids.  Didn't even get to tell my tale.

I served up full sized candy bars and large boxes of candy too.  One teenaged treater even hugged and kissed me.  I thought I would discourage the tricksters as I have had to yell twice at kids chasing the babies and throwing rocks at the geese and ducks.  But, instead, I think the trick was on me; I started something and may be mobbed next year.

I haven't been to the farm in more than two weeks and my husband arrived this morning with a large box.  It was full of bills, catalogs and magazines.  Not how I wanted to start my day.  It felt like a belated trick.

Hope your first of November will be a good one.  I shopped yesterday and all the Christmas decorations are out in the stores.  What happened to autumn?  We haven't had it here yet; it has been very warm and windy.  

Superstitious Wishes

I have saved many of our annual wishbones from Thanksgivings past.  Why?  I don't know.

Guess you could make a sculpture or art piece from them.

Or perhaps, display them in a pretty tableau - maybe even paint them with gold leafing, though I prefer the natural bone.

Well, I wondered how the wish part came about.  The wishbone is a furcula, or 'little fork' in Latin.  In the 1400's, it was used as a method of divination.  A goose's wishbone was dried overnight after a feast of some kind.  The elder studied it the next morning and would predict whether the winter would be severe or mild, dry or wet.  It was also an object of superstition used by warriors on whether or not to wage wars and carried as talismans.

All good, but I wanted to know where the wish came in.  As you know, the persons hold on to the furcula (I like wishbone better) and the one receiving the larger part makes the wish.  This practice developed in the 17th century and at the time was called a merrythought.  

I'd hate to pull apart an ostrich's furcula.  Ick.

Obviously, it is a rainy day here.  I guess I am pretty superstitious, the yin of wishes. The number thirteen - well I never schedule anything on that date.  I'm sure there are many more that give me pause, but I can't think of any right now.

Do you have any superstitions?  I'd like to know.

A Halloween Treat

This is one of my all time favorite movies.  Not sure why, but the era, cinematography, story line and suspense all play into it.  And, it's supposedly a true story.  The author/director appears in the first scene.  If you know how to do Netflix or streaming (I don't even know what it is) you can probably find it or you can go to Amazon to buy it.  Great  movie for Halloween.

Fall Finally Comes

The temperature got down to 40 degrees this morning.  It has been so hot this fall.  I found these pumpkins at the market.  What will the growers think up next?  

Halloween and the trick or treaters can't be too far off.

From the ghoulies and ghosties

and long leggedy beasties

and things that go bump in the night.

Good Lord deliver us!

Scottish Prayer

You Can't Take Me Anywhere

Well, it's almost all Hallows Eve, or Halloween as we like to call it.  This is the scariest thing I could come up with (or it could be my parrot Birdie trying to pluck my eye out as I work on this blog).  During our 10 day trip to Paris this spring, we forayed two hours east of Paris, in the Loire Valley, and went to Chartres and Chambourg.  I really enjoyed this and heartily recommend spending a day or two around there to see how they live outside of Paris.  Tiny towns, or villages, dot the countryside in a patchwork mosaic of planted fields. Many of the homeowners also had large gardens.  I will show more of Chartres later, though I can't remember whether many of the pics are Chartres or Chambourg, but this old window was definitely in Chambourg.  Of course, you're not supposed to open the windows, so what did I do, yes, as my friends scattered, I had to lift the beautiful old latch and open the window.  Just inches away, on the sill, was this little bat.  It looked up at me and followed me with its eyes.  I looked up to see if it had fallen from the roof line, but saw no others.  Since bats aren't out during the daylight hours, I surmised it must be sick.  Rabies?!! Sorry little bat, I wish I could help you but I'm outta here.  I  took my photo, then gently closed the window.  See what you miss when you always follow the rules.  BOO!